The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton is a poignant tale of love, duty, and societal expectations set in the gilded world of 1870s New York. Newland Archer, a respectable young lawyer, is engaged to the charming and conventional May Welland. However, when the unconventional and independent Countess Ellen Olenska returns to New York, he is torn between passion and propriety. As he struggles with the rigid expectations of high society, Newland must choose between following his heart or fulfilling his duty. A beautifully written and bittersweet exploration of love and sacrifice in a world bound by tradition.